


A youth's resolve

by Louissimon



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22141036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louissimon/pseuds/Louissimon
Summary: Ike decided that it was time for him to start training as a mercenary to follow in his father's footsteps. Sadly, the world of a mercenary is not quite fit for a 10 years old, but that won't stop Ike from doing everything he can to follow the daily routine of his comrades.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Nagamas Gifts





	A youth's resolve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [94BottlesOfSnapple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/94BottlesOfSnapple/gifts).



As the sun was slowly rising, its rays of lights was making the fresh snow from last night sparkle, making it look fresh and crisp. When Ike's 10 year old body flew in the nearest snowbank, it made a nice crunching noise.

\- Are you oka-  
-I'm fine.

As he was doing his best to navigate out of the small mountain of snow while keeping what was left of his pride intact, Oscar and Gatrie rushed to make sure he really was ok.

-I told you he was a little young to start sparring with you Gatrie  
-Nonsense! One is never too young to start working toward a life of combat and glory!

After a few moments, Ike was finally standing in front of them, panting and covered with bruises and a mix of snow and dirt

-... But I guess one can be too young to start sparring with such a great combatant as me. It would probably be a better idea to start somewhere easier young lad  
-No! I'm strong, I can keep up! You just-you just caught be by surprise!

The young boy tried to lift his wooden sword from the ground, but he was having difficulty raising it and was trembling the whole way, until he finally dropped it.

-Ike, it's ok, you've got more than enough time. I'm sure you'll make a great fighter some day, you don't need to push yourself right now, you'll only hurt yourself.  
-He's right, there will always be more occasions for prestigious fights, why don't you take it easy while you can?  
-Yeah, you can go see what Boyd is up to, I'm sure he'll be glad to play with you.

All while they were speaking, Ike kept looking at the ground, remaining silent.  
-... Well, now that that's settled, I'm going to go start preparing breakfast.  
-Fantastic idea Oscar! I will go cut some woods to work myself an appetite worthy of your food!

both men, clearly unsure on how to handle the situation, went their separate ways while looking awkwardly at each other Once Ike was sure that they were out of range, he let out a loud sniff and wipe away the tears and snot from his face. He then looked at the 2 tracks of steps in the snow and started running, following the one with the heavier steps. After a few minutes, he finally came upon Gatrie staking up the woods next to a large stump.

Since the heavy man did not notice him, Ike stayed near a tree, silently watching him. Despite wearing what Ike thought was the largest, heaviest armor he ever saw, Gatrie was able to pick up the wood and swing his axe with ease. The boy watched him do so for about 30 minutes, watching earnestly every move he made. Once he was confident, he confidently walked up to the pile of wood while Gatrie was taking a breather to wipe away the sweat, picked up the axe that was laying there and prepared himself to start putting in work. Gatrie finally noticed him when he put a piece of wood on the stump in front of him.

-Wha- WOH! You spooked me boy... what are you doing? Oh no, you should probably put down that axe before you hu-

Ignoring him completely, Ike swung the axe as strongly as he could... only to get it stuck in the piece of wood he wanted to cut. Clearly flustered, he immediately tried desperately to unstuck it, only to have the axe, with the wood still stuck, fly out of his hand and land a few feet away. Surprised, he lost balance and fell face first in the snow. 

-By the goddess, are you alright?

He simply made an affirmative sound through the snow.

-This was quite dangerous lad! You could have seriously hurt yourself! 

Gatrie picked up Ike like a bag of feather and put him standing. He then went to pick up the axe.

\- Now I know that I am not you father, but I believe that you have had enough excitement for one day! I strongly recommend that you go back to the camp to rest and do something easier.

He looked down at him from high above, intently, holding the axe in one hand. Ike tried to not break eye contact, but ultimately looked away.

-... fine.

He turned his back and started walking in direction of the kitchen. As he was walking, he heard the loud sound of chopping wood, biting his lips all the way.  
*************

When he finally arrived, he could already smell a strong, delicious smell from inside. He heard his stomach gargling and thought that even the mightiest warrior needs a belly full. He walked in and approach the food faster than he would admit. Oscar was making the final touches while speaking with little Mist, who seemed out of her mind with excitement. He grabbed a plate and started filling it with what Oscar had prepared.

-Oh Ike, I was wondering where you were. Everything's alright?  
-IKE IKE! I HELPED OSCAR TODAY! I ADDED THE VEGETABLES TO THE SOUP AND STIRRED THE SOUP!  
-It's true, she was a big help Oscar added with a smile  
-Great.

After his one word answer, he went to sit to the table and started eating. Oscar was looking at him with a worried look, but Mist with a look of extreme anticipation

-WELL? WHAT DO YA THINK!  
-It's fine.

Mist kept looking at him with the biggest doe eyes his short life had ever seen. After a few moments of silence, Ike cracked.

-It's delicious  
-YAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

She started running in circles around him, then around Oscar, all the while screaming in joy. 

-I'M GONNA GO TELL EVERYONE HOW GREAT YOU THINK MY FOOD IS!!!!!!  
-Wait!

But she was already out of the door. It was only young Ike and Oscar left in the room, which made the adult one of the two extremely uncomfortable. He was used to Boyd with his endless energy, but Ike was the opposite, always calm and measured. Plus, he saw that Ike was still clearly embarrassed from the event that happened this morning, with how he was strictly looking at the food like the most interesting thing in the world. He really wanted to put him at ease, but had no idea how. He was extremely relieved once Titania walked in.

-Phew, it's really getting cold outside. I can't wait to get something warm in my stomach. Thank you again for taking care of the food Oscar. With winter here, there is just so much to do.  
-Oh it's no problem at all. I'm used to preparing the meals for my brothers.  
-That's right. How have they been adjusting to the life in a mercenary troupe?  
-Haha, well, Boyd is starting to talk about how he's going to be the strongest in the world and I've spotted Rolf looking admirably at Shinon when he's training shooting at targets, so I guess I've got even more to worry about, but they're managing. Thank you again for taking us in.   
-Oh we should be the ones thanking you. The captain was talking about how we should probably hire more people to help, with the bandits getting more restless, so it was great timing when you arrived. Plus, having a strong crimean knight like you in our rank is a great boon.   
She then added with a smile "And what better place to become the strongest than with the mighty greil mercenaries?"

Ike scoffed loudly at that last phrase

-Oh hello Ike, I didn't see you there sorry.  
-Hi  
-How are you today? Your father will be back from getting the supplies, you must be quite excited.  
-I'm not! I'm fine without him.

Surprised, Titania looked at Oscar, who only sighed while shrugging. They all took some food and sat down to eat. It was still quite early so it was only the three of them eating. Titania and Oscar exchanged war stories while eating and Ike was remaining silent. He was done eating but he was patiently waiting for his moment to arrive.

-Phew that was delicious. Thank you for the food Oscar, you really bring more than we could ask for to this company.  
-Haha, well, thank you kind Titania. I am glad to be of service. Will you take a second portion?  
-Oh no, I will burst if I do. Plus, I've got to get going, I need to go take care of the horses at the stables. They've been quite restless since last night, with the snow and cold.  
-I'll help!

Ike suddenly stood up on the bench, looking directly at Titania full of passion. Both the adults were startled by this sudden outburst, making the room awkwardly silent for a few heartbeats

-... well, Ike, I appreciate your offer, started softly the Deputy-Commander, but...  
-Ike, look, I know you want to help, but don't you think your little training this morning with Gatrie already exhausted you quite a lot? Oscar tried to be as diplomatic as he could. You already look like you could fall asleep at any moments.  
-Right, plus taking care of the horses is really hard work and...

She trailed off as she was looking at him. She always had difficulty resisting his rare demands, even more when looking at his little cherub face with eyes filled with determination.

-... fine, you can come help me if you want.  
-Yes!  
-But you'll need to do exactly everything that I say, understood?  
-Yes ma'am!

With that, he started sprinting toward the stables

-... Are you sure that's a good idea? Plus, he's been acting strange lately, this might exacerbate it  
-I know, but I'm hoping that doing a chore like this might calm him down. Wish me luck?

As she was standing up, he raised 2 thumbs up at her with a contrived smile. She walked outside, met a few of the other members coming in to eat. She catted a little bit, until she heard a noise from the stables. She excused herself and went there as fast as she could. Once inside, she saw the horses being agitated and Ike with a bucket on his head. She did the best she could to suppress a laughter

-What happened?

Ike refused to move or say anything, sat on the floor with his arm crossed and the bucket still on his head. Titania went to him and gently removed the bucket from his head. His head was drenched and his face was red. He had such a serious look on his little face despite this that Titania could not stop herself from smiling . This made him even more mad, which incidentally made him even more cute.

-So, what happened Ike?  
-... Well, you were taking way too long, so I decided I would take a head start. I though it would be a good idea to start cleaning up, so I took a broom to sweep, but then one of the horse got spooked and started neighing real loud, which startled me. I jumped and stumble on a bucket of drinking water nearby. That's what happened  
-Oh Ike, why couldn't you wait for me?  
-Because! You said yourself there is so much to do, but, but you were taking an eternity!  
-You're right, you're right, I'm sorry, okay?

With water still dripping from his hair, he looked to become less guarded, with someone finally listening to him. Titania had been with them all his life, and she always knew how to make him feel better. When she saw that look on his face, she smiled tenderly and grabbed him gently by the shoulder

-Now, how about we dry you up and start on those chores? We wouldn't want you to freeze up like an icicle in the middle of shoveling horse poop, would we?

He let out a small giggle despite himself. A little bit embarrassed, her he tried to say ok as seriously as he could. Titania brought a change of cloth while he dried is hair and face. Once he was all set, they start cleaning up the stables. Feeding the horse, brushing their pelt and mane, changing their box, etc. It was a lot of hard work for a 10 year old boy, but Titania made sure to not give him more than he could handle while enough to keep him satisfy. They were done quicker than she thought it would take. Clearly Ike really was a big help. He was growing right before her eyes, yet sometimes she had trouble keeping up with him. After finishing up their last task, while looking at him, she though to herself for a moment.

-Hey Ike? The horses need to exercise. Would you like to ride on one of them?  
-Really!?

His eyes were suddenly lit with a sparkle of wonder. Titania took one of the horse out of his box, helped Ike climb on it and took them outside. The sun was now high in the sky. It was a bright day, with the adults working around on their weapons and maintaining the camp and the kids playing in the snow. Mist and Rolf had build a snowmen which Boyd quickly attacked. Gatrie and Shion were arguing while walking to their training and Oscar was maintaining the armament. From atop the horse, Ike had a few from the camp like he never did before. He could see much farther than ever before. He looked at the road covered in glimmering snow. The road from which his father was bound to arrive soon...

-Well? This horse won't get his exercise by standing still you know.  
-Oh, right, sorry. Hiya!  
=Wait no!

Too late to stop him, Ike had already whipped the reins and driven his heels in the horses flank. Clearly not appreciative of an unknown rider being so brutal, the horse immediately started galloping, jump as hard as he could to remove Ike as fast as he could. It didn't take long for Ike to fly in the air, landing straight in the snow. Oscar immediately run to grab the horse and calm him down while Titania and every one else present rushed to see if Ike was alright. Thank fully someone had started shoveling and Ike landed right where the snow had been sent, so there was something soft to cushion his fall. But the snow was close to a wall and he hit his head. There was a big bad bruise on his forehead.

-Oh my lord Ike, I'm so sorry, I should have warned you not to do that with that horse. Are you alright?

He tried to touch his head but instantly felt a ping of pain. He looked at the people around him, Titania worried sick, Mist already crying with rolf not too far from it, Gatrie shaking his head and Shinon smirking at him. This was too much. The whole day, the pain and the humiliation was too much for him. Tears started running down his face. He didn't want anyone seeing him like this. He started running away from everyone

-Ike!   
-Just let him run, that way we'll have at least one day without having him in our way  
-Shinon! Titania looked at him angrily, which always did the trick to shut him up.   
-Don't worry Titania, Oscar said while approaching with the now calm horse. He went on the road. That's the way commander greil will be coming from, so he'll probably pick him up.  
-Good. I just hope his father will know what to say...

************************

What a day, thought Ike. He was sitting with his back on a fence, his head buried in his arm. He just wanted to get stronger. He just wanted to help. Ever since that comment from Shinon last week, he couldn't stop thinking about needing to prove his place in the company. He couldn't jsut get by by being his father's son, he needed to be strong on his own. One day his father would be gone and he would need to take care of his sister and himself, like Oscar. He thought he could follow them in their daily routine, that it would be a good start on his path to a warrior, but all he ended doing was humiliating himself and making things difficult for everyone. Clearly that was all he was good for. A part of him knew that it was just one day, but his anger stopped him from being reasonable. He was just sad and mad that things were always so difficult ever since...

-Ike?

Ike instinctively raised his head. He knew that voice, he had heard it all his life. It was his father, Greil. In was in a caravan with the provision for the winter. He had a worried look on his face while looking at his son.

-What happened? Are you alright?

He couldn't take it anymore. He could keep a strong face with everyone, but not with him. He started bawling his eyes out.

-I-I-hic-I just wanted to help, bu-but all I did was a mess, and-and-  
-Hey hey hey,it's alright. I'm here

Greil swiftly got out of the caravan, kneeled next to his son and took him in his arms

-It's alright son, I'm here

Ike was surprised, but quickly grasped his father strongly with his tiny hand and started to calm down.

-Now, how about you tell me what happened in order, one thing at a time, huh?

After wiping his face, he nodded and started telling him the day's events. Once he was done, Greil sighed.

-What came upon you all of a sudden?  
-I wanted to become stronger, to be more useful.  
-You already are plenty useful. When you watch over Mist, when you help Titania with the garden, when you made sure Oscar, Boyd and Rolf felt at home quickly. And why did you need to be so strong all of a sudden? Couldn't you wait for me to come back before starting training?  
-I wanted... I wanted you to come back and see me already strong. Strong like you, so I could fight side be side with you. So I could keep you safe and make sure you come back with me to Mist. I want to help. I wanted you to see me as a strong warrior you could be proud of.

Greil was taken aback by Ike's words. He stared at him silently for a few seconds, hugged him again and then looked him directly into his eyes.

\- Ike, you've got all your life for that. I know you will one day fight right next to me, and I'll be as proud then as I am proud now. Once the now melts, we will start to train together. You don't have to worry, Ike. i believe you've got the makings of a great warrior. 

Ike looked at him, stunned in silence.

-I know it's a little early, but seeing that big bruise on your forehead, I think I can give your gift a little early.

Greil then took a green bandana out of his pocket and carefully attaching it around Ike's head in a way to hide the bruise.

-Happy winter festival Ike.  
-Thank you Father.  
-Come one, let's go home.

The two of them climbed onto the caravan and started heading toward the camp. Ike looked at his father a couple of times, thinking hard. He started to wonder what true strength meant, and realized that maybe he would be better finding that out on his own rather than mimicking others. One thing was sure, with his father by his side, he would surely find out.

-You know, father, one day I will definitely beat you

Greil let out a hearty laughter

-Ho ho ho, is that so? Well then I better start training you soon so you might have a chance to beat me one day.  
-It might happen faster than you think  
-You always are full of surprises.

Ike was starting to get tired. He rested his head on his father shoulder and let the calm gallop of the horses and the heat from his father guide hi, to sleep. greil looked at him, full of pride and excited to one day see the man that his son would become. Together they rode toward home, companion at arms, father and son.


End file.
